


Controlled Burn

by QueenEgg



Series: Kingdom Eternal [9]
Category: Hollow Knight (Video Game)
Genre: Amore kills her siblings - the fic, Angst and Suffering, Fratricide, Gen, Minor Character Death, Please read the warnings on the first chapter thank youuu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-08-07 13:05:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16409066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenEgg/pseuds/QueenEgg
Summary: Amore's personal and sacred duty: The complete and total eradication of her speciesOr, 3 times Amore killed her siblings and the 1 time she didn't.





	1. 1 | The Hunt

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: This story contains blatant and descriptive character death so if that bothers you Do Not Read It. For the first three chapters, this is Not a happy work, so just keep that in mind.
> 
> Chapters 1-3 take place before my other fic, Rekindling, while chapter 4 takes place after.
> 
> With that being said... I hope you all enjoy the read, and Happy Halloween!!

Traveling the breadths of the wastelands that separated the many kingdoms of the world apart from each other was, perhaps, her least favorite part of her duties. Amore sighed as she stared out of the carriage at the endless dusty plains that she knew were once beautiful, fertile lands rich with life. All things decayed in the end, but some places went cold and dead long before it was their time. She wanted to delay that inevitable part of nature, at least.

Thankfully, she wouldn’t have to wait much longer for a respite, as a familiar scent on the wind had her hissing softly.

“Brumm... stop the caravan,” she said. Her caretaker glanced up at her and set down his instrument before moving to the front of the carriage, his voice barely audible among the sound of the Grimmsteeds’ claws practically flying over the sandy earth.

Once the procession stopped, Amore stepped out, drawing in a breath through her mouth. Along with the stale air that hung above the wastes, there was something else, something that tasted of ash and ember and kin.

“They're close. Very close. Perhaps even just beyond these dunes. They're also powerful,” she muttered, as Brumm drew close at her back. “Perhaps one of my eldest siblings? Their smell doesn't match this place, but they could be old enough to perform a ritual of their own.” Her insides rolled as the thought of possibly having to destroy a child, or possibly even  _ children. _

“Mrrrm... old flames hang over these ruins. Yet, duty takes precedence over all, even yourself,” said her caretaker, his voice speaking only solemn truth.

Nodding silently, Amore let out a quick breath, the flame dissipating as she felt the dissent in her chest fizzle out. Looking down at her claws, she could see the wisps of void dancing along her fingertips, the emptiness she'd inherited from her ren pulsing within. They were the only reason she was not a slave to the will of the Nightmare Heart. She owed them this.

“In the morning, I shall go to meet them. They should notice my presence by then.” At that, Brumm nodded, turning back to tell the rest of the troupe to settle for the night.

As she stared out at the sandy crest separating her from one of her siblings, Amore felt her face twist into a grimace of a smile. The Nightmare Heart thrummed inside her chest, the flame protesting as her will pressed against its power.

“Our numbers dwindle, and one day, there will be nothing of you left. Instead of fighting me, why not savor what little time you have left in this ravaged world?” she asked, knowing it couldn't answer her.

Across the dunes, she could feel the essence of her sibling searching for the disturbance her presence had caused. Quickly shoving down the embers within, Amore pulled the void within over herself like a cloak and waited for the other to fade away.

Tomorrow, she would see another of her father’s offspring snuffed out, and the next day, she would be on the hunt once more.


	2. 2 | Triple Kill

The bodies were often too heavy for her to carry back to the caravan when she’d finished taking care of everything. Her siblings always fought back. Some struggled until the very end, but others went still the moment they realized that their time was quickly coming to a close, and it was better to hold on to what little breaths they had left. But all of them went limp and quiet and cold in her arms, Amore holding them close even as their flames went out, smothered beneath her vice-like hold and the writhing darkness that absorbed their strength with little fanfare.

Sometimes Brumm would help her drag the remains to where the caravan lay, but other times she was too tired, too drained to spend any longer seeing their dead eyes staring up at her, their last moments of betrayal or acceptance driving deep into her chest. The flames in her hands danced as the bodies went up in flames, and when the ashes stopped smoldering, it only took a quick beat of her wings to send them scattering.

The rest of the troupe sometimes watched, but more often than not she was alone in the act. The grimmkin that served her were too young to remember the Troupe Master before her, and so, could not understand why she mourned, but she did.

“Another is nearby,” she said, tiredly. “I think they’ve already noticed me, they’re not bothering to hide. In fact, they’re coming closer.” Her words drew Brumm’s attention as he finished packing away the tents they’d set up several nights before.

“...What are you going to do?” he asked, the steadiness in his voice helping to calm her nerves.

“I suppose I’ll have to face them head-on.” She winced at the strength of the flames that were steadily approaching. “You might want to have the caravan go on ahead. I wouldn’t want you all to get caught in the crossfire.”

After seeing her genuine concern, Brumm simply nodded before hurrying to where the carriages were stationed, the Grimmsteeds wasting no time in rushing away, the plumes of dust they left behind being the only sign that they’d been there at all.

With a huff of relief, Amore turned just in time to see one of her siblings appear atop the crest of the dune closest to her. They were blazing brightly against the dark sky, their eyes and hands alit with flame. It was with disappointment that she realized this wouldn’t be one of the easier fights as they ran towards her.

She was slow to bring up her claws, but in the end, she wasn’t even given a chance to make a move as they crashed into her with the force of a comet, both of them slamming into the sandy ground as the wind was driven out of her.

“You- what are you doing here in the open?!” her sibling asked, their flames gone out as they looked at her with a surprising amount of worry. Amore drew in a ragged breath as she gazed up at them in confusion.

“I, what?” How eloquent.

The one standing above her was colored similar to her. Their eyes blinked, deep maroon filled with fear as they hunched over her. “I’ve never seen you before. When were you born?” they asked, before shaking their head. “Wait, no, never mind that, it doesn’t matter. You’re in danger, we all are.” The genuine terror in their voice was like a nail right through her as Amore winced when they brought her into a crushing hug.

“Danger? What do you mean?” her tone was horribly lacking in sincerity, but the other didn’t appear to notice as they fretted over her.

“My hatchmates– we all took up roost in nearby kingdoms, helps keep them close, you know? But I... I–” they looked like they were close to tears, and Amore’s chest tightened further even as she carefully took hold of one of their wrists, hoping that their distress would distract them from the cold void that was slowly making its way up their arm. “I can’t feel them anymore, it’s like they completely vanished. They would never leave me behind, and I’ve never heard of something that would be able to kill one of our kind, but...” When their gaze turned back to her she froze in place. “Did you feel that as well? That sudden emptiness? I fear that– I am afraid something is hunting us.”

When she scanned their face, she couldn’t help but feel a brief stab of regret for what she was about to do.

“Well... I’m sure we have nothing to worry about! Who could possibly fell the offspring of a Higher Being such as our sire?” she said, keeping her tone just on the edge of nervous as they laughed uneasily at her reply.

“Hah, you bring up a good point. Speaking of father, I can smell that flame of yours. You’re the youngest,” they stated, the distrust in their eyes giving way to curiosity. “What are you doing out here, so far from your roost? These dead lands have so little life left in them, though if you needed a place to rest or feed–”

Before they could finish, the pitch black tendrils that she’d been carefully manipulating tightened around their neck, a sharp gasp of surprise being the only noise they could make as she quickly overtook them. When her hands replaced the void against their throat, she tried not to hesitate at the familiar glint of betrayal in their eyes, their claws scrabbling for purchase against her hardened shell as their flame slowly ebbed out.

“I’m sorry. It is not your fault this happened. We do not choose our fathers,” she whispered, even as she tightened her grip. Her older sibling- whose name she’d never even learned -choked out something. Maybe it was a plea for mercy, she didn’t know. All she knew is that it would soon be over for them. “The others, they did not fight, though I remember them speaking of you. You protected them, for a time. I regret that your caring became your downfall.”

When their eyes finally went dull, Amore heaved out a breath, then another, until she was sobbing over their corpse. When had it become so difficult to perform her duty? She cried until she could no longer shed any tears, the void having long drained the body of its lingering power until it was no more than an empty shell.

Placing a hand over their dead eyes, she shuddered. “Thank you, for at least being a good sibling in life. In another, perhaps I might have known you better,” she said, hunched over them.

After only a few more moments, she forced herself to stand, gathering a flame in her hand before casting it down on the dead shell, watching it go up in a plume of fire that brightened the desert sky for several seconds.

As she sat in the sand, waiting for her strength to return so she could catch up with the rest of the troupe, Amore leaned back and stared at the embers that danced in the wake of the pyre, imagining the day when she would finally be the last of her kind.


	3. 3 | Friendly Fire

The ruins of the dead kingdom were burning. Similarly, Amore’s crest was in flames as she stared down her brother.

He already bore the evidence of their long drawn out battle, his left eye seared away and his arms covered in deep gashes where her claws had rended into him. With a snarl, she met him head on once more, careful to avoid letting his fire-coated fangs lock around her throat.

This was not a dance, she realized in the back of her mind, this was a desperate struggle between two beings fighting to be the last one standing. However, the odds were already against her wayward sibling. Amore sported no marks from their encounter besides the burns she’d received from the opposing fire. Her brother’s strength was waning, she only needed to outlast him a little longer.

Forcing him onto the ground, she ignored how he spat and hissed at her, even as she leaned all her weight onto his chest.

“Why do you fight so hard? Are you that desperate to drain the last of life from these ruins?” she snapped, unable to get her claws around his throat as he continued to fend her off with what little remained of his power.

“You... you don’t understand-!” he snarled, “You don’t understand anything! This is my territory! _You shouldn’t even be here!”_ At the end, he was screaming, and to her surprise, he reared up and threw her off, giving her only a moment to dart away as a pillar of flame erupted where she’d landed. “I won’t die to you, not while I have something to protect!”

At his words, she felt the crimson fire within flare up in response to her indignation. “The only thing this place needs protection from is you!” she screamed back.

Tackling him, Amore took hold of the void, pitch black spears solidifying out of her dress and pinning his limbs to the ground.

“If you favor this land so much then you will burn with it,” she said, her voice cold as the flames among the buildings around them grew hotter in conjunction with her magic. Yet despite even her attempts to hold him still, the other grimm would not stay down.

“No- no, you can’t do this! They’re still in there-!” As he cried out, Amore’s vindicated rage shifted to confusion. “Lin-! Linsola!” Stumbling back as she witnessed her brother tear off the abyssal spears that were embedded in his arms and legs, her gaze followed him as he ran back into the inferno. With a sudden unease, she followed, ignoring the fires as they lapped at her shell.

The heat was almost too unbearable for even her, but she continued to trail after him, trying not to focus on the large splatters of blood he left in his wake.

When she found him, he was standing beside a crudely constructed building, its walls obviously new yet already crumbling. The sorry state of the structure was no doubt unhelped by the flames that threatened it, but the other grimm was already hard at work at putting them out. The embers that weren’t drowned out by his blood were eaten, and soon the house was safe from the destruction that would soon decimate the rest of the kingdom’s remains.

“You! You get away from here-” He’d noticed her. “If you come any closer, I’ll tear you to pieces! I’ll kill you-!” She blinked when he fell to his knees, his breath coming in harsh, uneven gasps. As she approached, she realized he wasn’t even bothering to keep up the act, his wounds already too severe for him to continue.

Amore was already upon him the moment he realized she hadn’t left when he’d told her to. Her void-stained claws grasped his neck, and she winced at the harsh gargling noise he made- likely a sign that his throat was already full of blood.

“Go quietly, and in peace,” she said, watching as his eyes filled with fear. Turning away, she tried to ignore the sound of his shell splintering in her grip, his body falling to the ground with a dull thud. “You fought well, and now there is nothi-”

 _“Ferrero?”_ A timid voice shocked Amore into silence, the only other noise being the crackling of the fires still eating up the rest of the ruins.

When she turned around, a sudden icy wave of terror crashed over her body as she saw the slim form of another bug- an earwig -appear at the opening of the house her brother had tried so valiantly to save.

She was possibly a native of the kingdom before its decline, but whether she was or wasn’t didn’t matter in the moment. What mattered was the pair of nymphs in her arms, both of them pale and small, and marked with the lines that signified their grimm heritage.

“Ferre- no, no no!” She began to wail, before she caught sight of Amore standing over his corpse. “Don’t... don’t come near me! I’ll, I’ll-!” Amore shrunk back as the other bug failed to complete her threat as she broke down into sobs. “My heart, how could this have happened? Why!”

Stepping closer, Amore watched the two nymphs squirm in their mother’s hold, obviously unaware of the danger they were in. Her brother’s wife hadn’t noticed her approach, so caught in her sorrow she was. Only when Amore knelt at her side did she look up, a mixture of fear and hatred in her gaze.

“You did this,” she said, her antennae twitching as she glared up at the being before her. “Monster-” she spat. “Will you kill me now too? Or our hatchlings?” Something in Amore warped at the word _hatchlings._

“I... no- no that isn’t what I want-” she stammered, “I didn’t know he had... that he was-” Her words were swallowed up by the sudden rush of tears that spilled from her eyes. “I’ve made a grave mistake.”

Kneeling on the ground next to the new widow, Amore stared at her- her sister-in-law, she realized belatedly, and felt the world around her grow unfathomably cold as the nymphs looked up at her with unknowing gazes and flameless eyes.

“This is beyond a mistake,” said Linsola, her eyes still shining with moisture. “You’ve taken everything.”

“If- if I had known-!” she started, only for the weeping earwig to suddenly snap at her, her mandibles coming too close to Amore’s face before she drew back.

“You would have! You would have known if you hadn’t been so quick to violence! Ferrero never harmed another for as long as I’ve known him. He wanted to find a place for us- somewhere we could raise our children in peace. Now that future will never come to be,” she broke down into tears once more. “Oh... my babies, I hope you can forgive us for failing to give you the lives you should’ve had. Begone from this place, murderous creature, and let us burn if that is what you wish.”

Amore stood, ignoring how her heart ached in her chest at the sight of the crying mother. She reminded her of... of-

“No, no. I can’t do that. I’ve already caused enough death for one night.” She cast her gaze back to the path out of the now-smoldering wreckage. “Stand up and follow me if you want your brood to live.”

She wasn’t expecting Linsola to follow, as a being consumed by grief, it would have been natural for her to pass next to the body of her husband. But as it was, it seemed that she still had enough reason to think of the two small lives still nestled in her grip. When she stood, Amore nodded and led her out of the scorched remains of the kingdom.


	4. +1 | Children of Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amore finally meets her match.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, this chapter took for Ever but also,, it's the longest out of them all and I really liked working on it so, here's the end of this!

Amore stared up at the atrium above her. The ceilings of the grand building seemed to stretch onward forever. She would’ve loved to marvel at the wonders the former inhabitants of such a land had created, however, such things would have to wait until her quarry had been found. The marble constructs built into the mountain provided ample hiding space, and in drawing in a quick breath, the scent of her sibling was the only thing that kept her moving steadily onward.

_ Their only wish is for you to one day return safely to them. _

The words of her ren’s husband echoed in her mind as she scoured the hallways for a sign of the other grimm. It wasn’t something she liked to entertain, the idea that she could possibly encounter another of her kin that was capable of overpowering her. Before, she might have considered the risk worth it, but now, knowing Ghost’s true feelings towards her wellbeing-

“Oh... you’re still here...” Whipping her head around at the new voice, Amore finally caught sight of her prey. She was curled around a pillar above her head, and Amore startled at her appearance. Her sister was so much larger than her, her wings alone likely out-spanned Amore’s own reach, and her tail was thicker than her entire torso. With a short exhale, she stared up and tried not to shudder. “Its been days... did you find what you were looking for?”

“Yes, but I was looking for you,” Amore said, watching as her sister blinked at her- blue eyes that bore no resemblance to their father’s fixing her with a confused look.

“For me? Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t want to get in your way. Many seek refuge in this place, but lots of them are scary. Their weapons frighten Mother.” She climbed down the pillar until she was just above Amore, the difference in size even more apparent up close. “What’s your name?”

“Amore,” she said, inching backwards. “Yours?”

The blue grimm tilted her head to each side. “Phemeria. Sorry again for hiding, I couldn’t tell if you were dangerous or not. You smell like the others, but...different, somehow.” At that, Amore felt her confusion return to the surface. Tentatively, she reached out for Phemeria with the void, the darkness in the shadows responding to her power.

“Different? In what way? You’ve seen our siblings?” she asked, putting on her most non-threatening air.

“Yes. You’re emptier, farther away. Like your aura is locked behind a glass shell,” Before the void tendril could reach out to touch her, Phemeria vanished from sight in a plume of blue smoke before reappearing on a pillar farther away, still staring at Amore with the same odd look. “The others came to rest, or to hide... Now I see why.” Amore’s eyes widened as she vanished once more, her presence disappearing from the room completely.

“I- wait, come back here!” she said, before fanning her own wings out and making chase, flying down the hall in pursuit.

The next room was even emptier the one before it, and her wayward sister was nowhere to be seen.

“You aren’t like the rest of our kin. You’re colder, emptier.” Phemeria’s voice echoed and bounced off the walls, leaving Amore disoriented. “Why did you come here?”

“I came here searching for a parasite that leeches the life-force of the lands in which it was born.” Hissing, Amore cast her gaze over the stone with utmost scrutiny. “So stop prolonging the inevitable and make this easier on the both of us-!” Another plume of blue smoke erupted from somewhere to her left, causing her to spin around only to wheeze sharply as Phemeria’s tail wrapped around her body, pinning her arms to her sides as the breath was squeezed out of her.

“Quite bold you are, little sister, to take the balance of life and death into your own hands,” Amore choked out a noise of dissent as Phemeria’s discriminating gaze bored into her from above. “You assume the worst of us.” Her tail only crushed harder as Amore began to struggle, not enough air in her chest to spark a decent flame.

“Phemeria- cease this!” A new voice echoed through the stone halls and the appendage that was drawing close to splintering her shell released almost immediately as her sister’s head whipped around towards the back of the room.

“Mother!” she called, abandoning Amore’s side in a flash only to reappear in front of a bee standing between two of the pillars. “Why did you leave your room? It isn’t safe!” Phemeria’s eyes snapped towards her and Amore could feel the poison in her stare as she spoke in a dead tone- just barely loud enough for her to hear across the way, “There’s a monster here.”

The tension was short lived, however, as the bee shook her head and settled an arm across Phemeria’s shoulder before fixing Amore with a piteous look.

“Still yourselves, children. I know of your heritage, young one, though I know not why you seek to engage in violence with my daughter- who is your kin, if my aging eyes do not deceive me.” Amore blinked at her words and felt the flames she’d been stoking in her chest dim. “Come along now. As Queen, I won’t tolerate violence in these halls. They’ve seen too much of the sort already.”

Confused and bewildered, Amore watched her leave the room, and after doing her best to ignore the irritation she felt when her sister shot her one more glare before following her mother, she picked herself up off the ground and crossed the marble hallway, hurrying to catch up.

She had no doubts that Phemeria knew that any attempt she might make at attacking was now likely to risk catching her mother in the crossfire. Though while her sister was unlikely to put her mother in harm’s way, Amore also knew she couldn’t risk hurting the benevolent bee who had, ultimately, stopped Phemeria from killing her. With a soft growl, she ignored the way her claws itched and ached the longer they went without carving into shell.

“You see something in this place that my daughter and I cannot, yes?” The question startled her out of her thoughts, and Amore instinctively breathed out a small flame in surprise.

Narrowing her eyes, she tried to not focus on Phemeria’s disdainful stare. “Your daughter is a parasite,” she admitted unashamedly, noting how the grimm in question hissed quietly- the noise similar to the sound of smoking wood. “Our kind are all destined for destruction- death and theft of life is our birthright. It is only fair that the eradication of such a plague be my own calling.”

“Is that so? Sit down, dear. You too, my child.” Her motherly tone was unlike how Ghost spoke to her, but Amore still felt compelled to listen, dropping to the floor and crossing her legs while Phemeria curled up around a pillar, her wings folded beneath her chest. Upon noticing her sister’s lack of grown limbs- how hadn’t she realized it before? -Amore tilted her head.

“Why are you still like that? Aren’t you supposed to be older than me? Where are the rest of your-?” The question seemed innocuous, but to her surprise, Phemeria snapped at her from across the room, her quiet voice turned to steel.

_ “Shut up,” _ she said, her tone cold as she averted her eyes. Her mother gave her a sad look in response, before settling herself down on a chair- no,  _ a throne, _ at the head of the room.

“Child you must have much to learn from life if your views of the world are such rigid constructs,” she clicked with displeasure, and despite only being only indirectly related to her, Amore felt cowed by her words. “I know not what ills befell you, but you will leave Phemeria out of your crusade, or you will be forced to take my life as well.”

Such a statement left her feeling winded, a dizzy feeling forcing itself down into her stomach as Amore stared at the Queen with confusion. The memory of Linsola’s tear covered face flashed in her mind as she winced, drawing back. “I- I don’t understand- No, I won’t harm you- I only want to be rid of-”

“Parasites?” she asked, before sighing. “Child, you do not even know what I am. Did you ever wonder why these stone halls are so empty? Why they are silent except for the echoes of my footsteps and my daughter’s voice? I am as much a parasite as my child, and the end of this place was my family’s doing.” At this, Amore went quiet, her body buzzing with discomfort as she met the Queen’s stare.

“This kingdom used to be a beautiful place... It still is, truly, but it is dead, never to be revived, and that is for the best, of course. I was given the title of Queen after my mother’s passing, because the one who laid my egg so happened to place me among her royal clutch. When I hatched, I ate every one of her children and became her sole heir.” The admission came heavy, and even Amore could see her shoulders drop even though her gaze held steady. “My kind had always lived here, you see. We depended on the rest of this land’s inhabitants for food and shelter. I would not think that my kin would so willingly destroy the ones who built their homes and kept them safe, but as you know, there is only so long you can take advantage of the good will of others before your debts overcome you,” she said, with the weight of the whole mountain behind her words.

“They paid those debts with their lives, but it was thanks to me their numbers grew too great to be sustained in the first place. I was not my mother’s child. Not really. She could never raise me to do what she did, and in the end, I was the death of her.” Amore shuddered at the sorrow that dripped from her voice, and only then did the last remnants of righteous anger in her chest finally cool. “You see... I realized what I was at the price of her love for me, and when Phemeria’s father found me raging against my own existence in the smoldering wreckage of the nest I was born in, he offered me a way to pay  _ my _ debts back.”

“A child to continue your bloodline,” Amore said, not noticing she’d spoken until a moment later. “But- I still don’t understand. If that was the case then why-”

“Tell me child, do you think a parasite cannot recognize another? I knew his plans from the moment he was upon me. Yet...we both wanted it so  _ badly.” _ The Queen shook her head slowly. “Two beings cannot create something which neither of them possess. Phemeria is my daughter, my rightful heir despite everything, but she will never achieve the state you have for yourself. I was an unsuitable carrier, and her father an unsuitable sire, our faults made her this way, but I suppose such a thing favors her this day.”

_ “Mother- _ don’t say that...” Phemeria’s whispery, cowed voice reached her once more, and this time, Amore looked at her sister with understanding. Their father, their parents- it was only thanks to a fated pairing that left them free of his oppressive nature. Yet, if they were two of a kind, then...

“I believe you now see what it was that you were missing from your view of the rest of your siblings, child.” Blinking away tears, Amore glanced back at the Queen and nodded sharply.

“I... yes. I do,” she said quietly, before hesitantly crossing the floor to stand- then kneel, in front of Phemeria, who looked down at her with apprehension. “I know I cannot ask for your forgiveness, as I do not deserve it, but at the very least I promise you I will never return here-”

“By the lights, you are a dense one.” Her response left Amore confused for only a moment before Phemeria’s wings wrapped around her, and she found herself being enveloped in her sister’s hold- though without the threat of being crushed to death. “Visit... if you must. But know I won’t be so kind if you try and kill me again.”

At this, Amore could only huff and make half-hearted attempts to push Phemeria’s much larger head away from her as she tried to get free of her sister’s hold. “No- no of course not. I don’t doubt that you would win such a fight either,” she replied, managing to escape when the other grimm began to laugh- a soft sound that brought a familiar warmth to her chest that had nothing to do with the flame inside her.

“So, what will you do now?” When the Queen posed the question, she couldn’t reply immediately, but instead, Amore stared at her hands for a few seconds and thought about her ren, her aunt, her family in Hallownest.

“...I think I will try to reason with the rest of our siblings. Perhaps... Perhaps more of them like you- like us, are out there,” she said, before shuddering slightly. “Yet- if... if any of them are more like father-” the flames sprung to her hands without pretense, black as tar and hot enough to singe the tattered remains of the tapestries hanging from the wall even at a distance. “It would be a disservice, I believe, to let them live.”

Even the Queen nodded at this, and Amore stilled the rage in her heart. “Ah, of course, child. But what will you do when there’s nothing left after that?” Blinking once, Amore tilted her head and smiled, sad and hopeful all at once.

“I’ll go home to my family, and I’ll watch my younger siblings grow up,” she said, returning Phemeria’s proud grin and the Queen’s look of satisfaction.

“And so you will, Child. So you will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you all when i finally, f i na lly get around to finishing kingdom eternal!

**Author's Note:**

> Now that that's over and done with,,, [Please check out my fianceé's artwork of Amore!!!!!!! its so good! s o g ood !!!!!!! you will not regret](https://marenart.tumblr.com/post/179409381301)


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